A 23-year-old CVS employee who was not scheduled to work Christmas Day was fatally stabbed behind the counter at a Lindenhurst store after being called in to fill a shift, according to Suffolk County authorities.
Edeedson Cine Jr., of West Babylon, was stabbed in the chest around 6:50 p.m. on Christmas Day at the CVS located at 20 East Montauk Highway. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect fled on foot following the attack. Suffolk County Police arrested John Pilaccio, 43, of Lindenhurst, on Friday, December 27, and charged him with second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing.
Pilaccio was arraigned Saturday at Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip before Judge John Kelly. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail. His court-appointed attorney, Steve Fondulis, represented him at the arraignment.
Prosecutors revealed during the arraignment that the incident stemmed from an attempted robbery. According to court documents, Pilaccio entered the store just before 7 p.m. on Thursday and attacked Cine during the confrontation.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said the crime was captured on video surveillance. “The first thing [Pilaccio] did when he got up to the cashier … unfortunately was to attack him. The crime is captured on the video,” he said.
Prosecutors say Pilaccio confessed to police following his arrest. He told authorities his motive was money and revealed he was in debt. The district attorney referenced oral admissions Pilaccio allegedly made to police as part of a bail application during Saturday’s arraignment but did not provide additional specifics.
Police arrived at Pilaccio’s residence on 59 Palm Street in Lindenhurst, where he voluntarily went with law enforcement.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina had announced Friday afternoon that investigators had identified a person of interest in the murder. “It appeared that this poor kid went to work on Christmas, he was…assaulted while working behind the counter at the store,” Catalina said.
Before the arrest was made public, Commissioner Catalina criticized CVS for what he described as delays in providing surveillance footage to detectives investigating the homicide. He said the company had hampered the department’s ability to make a timely arrest.
CVS responded that the video requested by Suffolk County Police was sent to them Friday. A company spokesperson said it took considerable time to pull and package the footage in the specific manner requested by investigators. The spokesperson added that CVS requested police confirm receipt and ability to view the video but had not heard back at the time of the statement.
Despite the delay in receiving internal CVS footage, detectives worked through the night using witness accounts and surveillance video from locations outside the store to identify the suspect. Commissioner Catalina said investigators used outside surveillance footage and witness statements to pinpoint the person of interest.
Family members told authorities that Cine was called in to work and was not originally scheduled for the Christmas Day shift. According to his brother, Cine had been filling in for a friend’s shift the night of the attack.
District Attorney Tierney declined to speculate further on the motive during an interview Saturday evening. He said the investigation remains ongoing and the case will be moved to a grand jury for further proceedings.
Pilaccio is due back in court Wednesday for his next hearing.
Authorities emphasized that a criminal charge is an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The investigation by the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad continues.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad or Crime Stoppers. All calls will be kept confidential, according to police officials.
